Off Duty
by Dana Hale
Summary: I wrote Eddie into the Season 7 finale because I have to believe she and Jamie have been regularly hanging out together during the partner switch.
1. Chapter 1

They were supposed to meet at Anton's tonight. It wasn't Jamie's usual choice, but it made sense since it was Tuesday. So that meant Eddie got spoiled with an all-you-can-eat menu. He didn't mind, though, really. They'd been hanging out every night since the forced partner switch. He missed her during the day. Nights were quickly becoming his favorite time because he got to see her.

He knew this was dangerous; spending so much time with her off duty. Not being partners at the moment ended up being a great excuse for both of them to let their guards down and allow their feelings to come bubbling back up to the surface. It had become a natural routine that they both slipped into easily. It was going to be a hard habit to break once they became partners again.

He was just going to duck home to shower and change and then head over to the restaurant. So when he opened his apartment door, he wasn't expecting to see her curled up on his couch taking a peaceful nap. He couldn't deny the warm protective feeling that ran through the center of his chest at the sight of her sleeping; to him she was beautiful with her long blonde hair spilling across the scrunched up pillow. She was laying on her side with her hands underneath her head. He followed the dip in her waist to the curve of her hip and let his eyes roam over her shapely legs which were covered in tight denim, ending with her bare feet which were just slightly touching the other end of the couch. He smiled and wondered how long she had been here.

He gently tugged on the pillow and pulled it out from under her as she stirred and lifted up her head. "Hey, you're home!" she said groggily.

He laughed at her softly as he sat down and put the pillow in his lap, pulling her back down into her original position. His fingers immediately went to work caressing her hair, running them through the soft strands. "I thought we agreed the key to my apartment was only for emergencies," Jamie murmured as he looked down on her, mesmerized by the way her luscious glossy lips broke out into a smile.

"Oh, but this _was_ an emergency," she responded coolly. "I was missing you, and this couch smells like you, so…"

"This couch _smells_ like me? That's kind of gross."

"No it's not." She burrowed her nose into the pillow and inhaled deeply to prove her point.

"Well, I'm here now. So you can stop sniffing my furniture."

She let out a giggle and then relaxed as his hand ran down her shoulder and started to run up and down her back giving her a light massage. She sighed and wondered how much longer they were going to continue to blur the boundary lines that used to be set strictly at the professional level. There was a lot more hugging and touching and holding going on these past few weeks. Although they hadn't dared to start kissing again, it probably wouldn't take much to start to blur that line too. Which would ultimately lead to the blurriest line of them all and then there would be no going back…spoiled for life. All of this blurriness was the elephant in the room. But for now she was enjoying the sensations from his touch that soothed her body and made her feel like she belonged to him.

"Any leads on the serial killer?" she asked. All precincts had been put under pressure to find the guy responsible for killing eight innocent elderly people and to stop him from killing even more.

"The detective on the case thinks I'm off my rocker, but I can't help think that there's something about this Evan guy."

"That detective should know better than to question 'The Reagan Hunch'!" she joked. "You think Evan did it?"

"I don't know…maybe. After dinner tonight I was going to go out and follow him. He seems to be in all the right places at the all the right times."

Eddie jumped up out of Jamie's arms excitedly. "Let me come with!"

Jamie narrowed his eyes, the Boy Scout in him now starting to show again. "Eddie, we're not supposed to be working together right now."

"Oh come on! We'd both technically be off duty! So it wouldn't matter, right? And besides, we've done this dog and pony show before…I still have the wig and the cane! You know I make a great old broad!"

Jamie was quick to respond. "Eddie, no. I can't drag you in on this."

"Why not? You don't even have to mention that I helped. I'll even let you have the collar if we catch the scum bag," she promised.

"It's not about that."

Eddie grabbed Jamie's arm and tugged on him. "Come on, Jamie! It'll be fun! Twelve David back in action! We SO got this!"

"Fun? Eddie, this guy murders elderly people. _Murders_. Not robs. He kills them. It's not like the last time we did this."

Eddie's shoulders dropped in disappointment. "Oh. So you think I can't handle a murderer."

"That's not it, either. Come on, Eddie, you know I think you're a kick ass cop."

"Well then why don't you want me along?" she whined.

Jamie opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again.

Eddie's eyes softened as she gazed into his. He looked nervous. His words echoed in her mind…a murderer, not a robber… Then she realized it. Jamie was being over-protective, not because he didn't think she could handle it, but because he didn't like the personal risks associated with using her as bait to a murderer. Now the elephant in the room appeared too large for her not to say something.

"You think we shouldn't work together anymore because of our feelings for each other?" she dared ask.

"I…" Jamie started but couldn't finish and shrugged his shoulders.

Eddie stood up from the couch. Her first instinct was to run out the door and say 'Just forget I mentioned it, Reagan.' But she couldn't move. No more ignoring it. This needed to be hashed out.

"I'm so tired of this," she said in a whisper.

Jamie stood and grasped her hands in his. "Me too. I don't think I have to tell you that I want both. I've been struggling with this for a long time. But we can't…we made a choice. And I know I've been sending you mixed signals. This time that we've had away from the partnership…it's just been too easy for me to cross that line, and I'm sorry."

Eddie pulled away and sat back down. "Well maybe we made the wrong decision. We've had other partners for a whole month now. It hasn't been _too_ horrible," she said, trying to convince herself that her partnership with Welch was working out fine. Jamie caught on to the white lie she was telling.

He sat next to her and sighed. "Yes it has. Tours really suck without you."

This made Eddie laugh. "Oh! So you finally admit you lucked out with me as your partner!"

"Shut up," Jamie teased. "You don't seem real thrilled with your new partner, either."

"Yeah, well, okay, you're right. You wanna know what his problem is?"

"He's a jackass."

"He's not you," Eddie corrected.

Jamie hummed in response.

"Ok, look," Eddie offered. "We both recognize we have feelings for each other. Those feelings have been there a long time. So how is it that we have the house record for the partnership with the most collars. It's because we are so in sync with each other and we have proven we can be professional. We deserve capes. So why _can't_ we have both?"

Jamie instantly went into his usual argument and they both said it together at the same time: _"Because it's a bad idea for a lot of reasons."_

Eddie rolled her eyes. "It could also be a good idea for a lot of reasons!"

Jamie gave Eddie an authoritative look. "It's against the rules."

"Debatable," Eddie smirked. "You and I know plenty of partners who've hooked up and haven't gotten in trouble for it."

"Only because they've kept it secret. It's bound to jam them up at some point."

"But it's not kept secret. You know how word gets around. It's not very secret if we know about them and most of the precinct already knows about them, right? And we already know most of the house believes _we're_ hooked up already…"

Jamie was going to say something to retort but in typical Eddie fashion, she was on a roll so she just kept on talking.

"…and you did say, and I quote: 'Since everyone's already thinkin' it, we're paying the price for something we didn't get the benefits of.'"

Jamie exhaled loudly and squirmed. "I did say that, didn't I."

Eddie grinned. "The way I see it, we've already been compromised since…since…well, when did you start having feelings for me?"

"Oh no. We're not going there. I plead the fifth," Jamie quickly responded and held up his hand.

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "Whoah, now wait a minute! Just how long have you been carrying a torch for me, Reagan?" she gushed.

Jamie fidgeted a little but thought back to the very first day they met and smiled. "The end of our first tour. It was the first time I saw you out of uniform and you zoomed away in your Porsche. Total turn on."

Eddie's mouth fell open. "Jamie Reagan!" She hit him in the chest and he started to laugh. It actually felt good for him to finally admit that.

"Yeah yeah. Ok, I spilled, now how about you?"

She took her time answering him. She had so many favorite memories of their four years together where her heart beat fast for him, but when she really thought about it, it was the worst memory that ended up being the start of her feelings for him. "When Jake..." she swallowed and started over. "When you told me I wasn't going to be alone. And then you went with me to arrest him. As much as Jake took my dignity away, you gave it back to me. The way you cared for me…I hadn't had that in my life for the longest time. From then on I knew I could trust you to do the right thing and that you would always have my back. And I began to realize what a great guy you truly are. I've never met anyone like you."

Jamie took her hand in his and squeezed. "But you have no idea how badly I wanted to kill that guy for what he did to you."

"But you didn't kill him. And instead you took me to Anton's," Eddie finished. "And that's what really turned _me_ on. Which reminds me, I'm hungry!"

Jamie pulled her up off the couch. "Well we better get to Anton's then. And after that, you and I will go set up Evan and see what he's up to."

Eddie smiled, happy that he relented. "Sounds like the perfect evening!" She turned to head to the door.

"Eddie…" He stopped her and pulled her toward him. Before she knew it, his lips were on hers. The kiss was soft and slow and Jamie took his time tasting her. Eddie allowed him to take lead and she melted into him. The last time they had kissed, they had both savored it because it felt like it was going to be their last time crossing that line. But this felt like a whole new beginning. Jamie broke first and planted his forehead to hers. "Now it's perfect," he whispered.

He had taken her breath away and she stood still for a moment. But then she surprised him with a swift swat to his butt before turning towards the door. "No, NOW it's perfect!"

"Do you always have to get the last say?"

"YES!"


	2. Chapter 2

Jamie was starting to have second thoughts about this whole undercover operation. Sitting in his Mustang cloaked under darkness, he eyeballed Eddie across the street who was hunched over and limping slowly down the sidewalk with her cane. Disguised in her gray wig and trench coat, no one could tell that underneath all of that get up she was a vibrant, capable cop. But still, he hated to use her as bait and his heart was in his throat as he scanned the area looking for Evan.

Jamie knew he had to stay focused and alert. If he and Eddie were going to forge ahead both as partners and as something more, now was the time to prove to himself that he could stay professional and not let his judgment get clouded. But in the back of his mind he still couldn't shake the words 'It's a bad idea for a lot of reasons.'

It never seemed like a bad idea when he's kissing her and she's kissing back, when all he can think about is how much he just wants to be with her in every way. But right now, in the middle of a potentially dangerous work-related situation, he wonders again if it's right that they should keep working together. It was becoming too nerve-wracking for him to sit here and watch her be the bait. Leave it to Eddie to talk him into thinking they could have the best of both worlds. Why was she always so good at talking him into things? He just couldn't say no to her.

Jamie knew Eddie was excited to go back undercover. Her enthusiasm for getting this guy equaled his own, and as a cop, he admired her bravery and willingness to put her own life on the line. But putting his title as a cop aside, if anything happened to her on the job, he seriously didn't know how he would handle it. So he had to make sure that she came out of this operation safely. He needed to back her up just like he would on any other given day as if nothing in their relationship had changed. As if they hadn't just shared a promising passionate kiss an hour ago…

His heart skipped a beat as he spotted Evan. "That's him coming toward you," he whispered into the radio. Jamie quickly and quietly exited the car and snuck his way to the edge of the building near the sidewalk without being seen.

Eddie heard Jamie's cue in her earpiece. "I see him," she quickly replied and readied herself.

Evan made his way toward her, and even as she stayed hunched over, Eddie could feel his eyes on her. A rush of adrenaline surged through her when she felt his hand grab her arm. She wasted no time in combatting his move by seizing his wrist and twisting his arm, throwing him off balance. With a swift kick through his legs, she was able to flip him down onto the sidewalk onto his back. She crawled on top of him to keep him in place, holding down his arms.

Jamie immediately sprang out from his hiding spot and dashed over with gun drawn on Evan. "Police! Don't move!"

"They can't suffer! I need to kill them! You have to let me keep killing them!" Evan shouted. He disregarded Jamie's threat and was able to wriggle an arm out from Eddie's grasp.

"I said don't move!" Jamie yelled again, his finger still on the trigger as he moved in closer to help Eddie apprehend the murderer.

Jamie panicked when he spotted the hammer that Evan whipped out of his coat pocket while Eddie continued to struggle to gain control on him. It all happened so fast. In the split second that it took Jamie to register what Evan was planning, Jamie fired his gun at the very same time that the hammer struck Eddie hard in the head.

The bullet from Jamie's gun pierced Evan's skull, killing him instantly. Eddie was on her knees and she began to falter, the blood dripping down her face. She looked up at Jamie with fear and shock. The world around her was getting fuzzy and she felt very dizzy. "Jamie?" she called out to him for help with a shaky voice.

Jamie scrambled down on his knees to catch her just before she was about to topple over onto Evan's dead body. Her wig had fallen off and Jamie flinched in horror as he saw the gruesome wound on the side of her head.

"EDDIE?" Jamie screamed. He held her tight in his arms as her eyes drooped closed.

* * *

After having arrived at the hospital and being briefed on his officer's condition, Frank made his way to the waiting room, hoping to see his son. There Jamie sat alone in a hard plastic chair, staring out blankly looking dazed and broken.

"How you holding up?" Frank startled him.

Jamie immediately stood up at attention for the Commissioner.

"It's okay, sit down. I'm here as your father."

Jamie nodded wordlessly and wearily sat back down. Frank took a seat next to him. "How you holding up?" he repeated.

Jamie shook his head and closed his eyes, reliving the moment he pulled the trigger. "I wasn't fast enough."

Frank figured Jamie would take full blame for what happened to Eddie. "I heard your C.O. wants you and Eddie partnered together again, as soon as she's ready. Said it was a mistake to separate the best partnership the 12th has ever had. The two of you are being put up for medals for taking a serial killer off the streets."

"I don't want a damn medal. We went against IA's decision and worked together. And look what happened." _And oh, by the way, we've kissed each other three times now and we decided to break the rules and start a relationship while still being partners_...he thought, but obviously didn't say.

"You caught a serial killer," Frank reminded him.

"I almost got my partner killed," Jamie replied bitterly.

"We both know undercover work comes with risks. Eddie knew those risks. She's not going to blame you for any of this, so you need to stop blaming yourself. You reacted as quickly as you could under the circumstances. _Evan_ almost killed your partner, not you. You saved her life."

Jamie knew there was truth to what his father was saying, but he couldn't let those words soak in to give him any comfort. All he could think about was how scared he was of losing Eddie as he held her bleeding and unconscious in his arms while he waited for what seemed like forever for backup to arrive.

Linda approached the two and quietly interrupted. "She's awake and all cleaned up and is asking for you, Jamie. You can go see her now."

Jamie remained frozen to the chair. He wanted to see her badly, but wasn't quite sure what he was even going to say to her.

"Go see her, Jamie," Frank said. "It's okay. She'll be fine."

Jamie nodded and slowly got up and started to follow Linda down the hall.

Frank got teary-eyed as his mind wandered to Joe and Vinny. "Jamie," Frank called out.

Jamie turned around and waited for his father to say one last thing:

"I'm proud of you, Son."

Jamie couldn't reply. The guilt of harboring feelings for his partner made his father's confession sting.

* * *

"The wound looked much worse than it was. She's lucky you were there to stop him from hitting her full force." Linda kept rambling on to Jamie about Eddie's condition as they came up to the door of the recovery room. "She'll feel sick for a while from the head aches and concussion, but there shouldn't be too much scarring once it's time to remove the stitches. She'll be under observation through the night to make sure there's no bleeding into the brain. So far so good."

"Thanks Linda, for helping her. I'm glad you're working tonight," Jamie sincerely told her.

Linda smiled and pulled him into a quick hug. "And you…make sure you get some rest after this, huh? You look a mess! Take care of yourself, okay?"

Jamie half laughed. "Okay."

"And Jamie…she really is going to be fine. You did good tonight." She could tell he had been really worried about Eddie.

Jamie exhaled a long breath as he was left alone. Turning the door knob, he entered meekly into Eddie's room, bracing himself for seeing her hurt in a hospital bed. His fears were instantly calmed as she looked up at him and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Pulling the chair up as close as he could to the bed, Jamie remained silent as he grasped her hand in his. He couldn't look her in the eyes; he didn't want to focus on her injury which was very obvious with the large bandage wrapped around her head. He knew she would be alright, but the memory of how and why she got hurt was still very fresh. He felt so responsible.

He could only stare at their conjoined hands as his thumb caressed the softness of her fingers. His expression was solemn even though he had so many emotions running through him. Gratefulness and relief that she was awake and alive. Anger that she got hurt. Guilt for not being able to stop it in time. Guilt for breaking rules. Overprotectiveness that went so deep that he just wanted to take her away from all of this and hold her safely in his arms forever. Weariness from fighting his feelings for her. Frustration over not being able to fully act on those feelings. Bewildered by the fact that he's been in love with her for so long but could never admit it or voice it- not to himself, not to her, not to those around him who would point it out because they could see it plain as day. Confusion on what to do next. He didn't even know where to start with her.

Eddie was at first so very happy to see him walk into the room. She wanted and needed him by her side. But now his silence and the fact that he wouldn't look at her started to scare her. She was beginning to think that maybe her getting hurt was the deciding factor for him and now he wanted to walk away. From all of it. He looked like he was about to tell her something that would completely turn her world upside down. But he wasn't saying anything. So when she finally broke the merciless silence surrounding them, she became uncharacteristically tearful and asked, "Are you leaving me?"

That got Jamie's attention and he gasped. "God, Eddie, no. How could you think that? I could never…" And when he looked up at her, his heart broke at the sight of a single tear sliding down her cheek. The last thing he wanted to do was make her cry. With his other hand he wiped her tear away and moved in closer to place a gentle kiss over the wetness that remained there. "It's just that….You have no idea how scared I was, holding you. You wouldn't respond. You wouldn't open your eyes. All of the blood…I kept shouting your name but you didn't hear me. It was my worst fear coming true. For a moment there I thought I was losing you. And I never got to tell you…"

Jamie clammed up again and couldn't believe he was about to say those words that he forbid himself to even think about for the entire four years he's known her.

"Tell me what?" Eddie softly prodded, hoping they were those three words that she had been yearning to hear from him for the longest time.

"Eddie, you know what I want to say. But once I say it, there's no going back and things are going to have to change. Our partnership-"

"Why does actually saying the words out loud have to change our partnership? The truth of those words has already been in both our hearts for so long already."

"Wait…what? You…?"

"Are you really that clueless Harvard?" Eddie managed to laugh with relief now that she knew what he was struggling to say. "You big dummy. Those feelings I have for you? It's love. Soulmate love. I love you. And there. I said it. God only knows, Reagan, that I've been waiting YEARS for you to say it first. But now I'm saying it first. Because I'm SOOOOO tired of waiting for you to say it and I have THE WORST FRICKIN' HUGE headache in the world and I just wanted to get it over-"

Jamie effectively shut her up by abruptly kissing her, fast and fierce at first, then slower and softer when he realized that he should be taking it easy on her seeing that she was in a hospital bed with a serious head wound.

"You are a pain in the ass, Janko," he smirked.

Eddie narrowed her eyes. "Isn't there something _nicer_ you're supposed to say back to me?"

"You're the one who just called me a big dummy. That wasn't nice."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings?" she chided.

"Yeah, you did."

Eddie grabbed his ear and twisted it in a death grip.

"Ow Ow Ow! Okay, okay! I love you too!" Jamie yelped, laughing.

She released her hold as soon as he said it. "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Surprisingly…no," he replied thoughtfully and smiled. "I think a weight just lifted."

"Well geez. Maybe I should have gotten attacked by a serial killer years ago…if that's what it takes to get you to say three little words."

Jamie's smile faded. "Okay, first of all, I never want to have to go through you getting hurt ever again. I can't handle losing you. And second, there's nothing little about those three words. Not when it comes to how I feel about you."

"I feel like I'm gonna throw up," Eddie stated.

"Uh…not the reaction I was going for? What, too cliché?" Jamie asked, confused.

"No, no. I mean I really feel like I'm gonna throw up," Eddie rushed to get out as she sat up straight and turned very pale.

"Oh…Oh!" Jamie responded quickly and grabbed the empty ice bucket that happened to be sitting on the bedside tray table just in time.

He rubbed her back as she finished, and he took the bucket away. "Linda said that might happen because of the concussion. You want me to get her? You okay?"

"I'm alright…just this huge headache is starting to get to me I guess." He helped her lay back down and fluffed her pillow for her.

"I should be letting you rest," Jamie said with concern as he watched her eyes close in pain and exhaustion.

"If I fall asleep will you stay with me?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

He kissed her forehead lightly and grabbed her hand. "I'm not going anywhere."


	4. Chapter 4

Linda popped into Eddie's room after a while to check up on her vitals. She was surprised to see Jamie still sitting next to Eddie. She noted the worry lines on his face as he stared at his partner while she slept. And then she noticed their hands were clasped together. Linda had always heard the rumors through Danny that their partnership was close and that there were underlying feelings there. But hearing about it and actually seeing it were two different things. It actually made Linda smile and wonder some more about what was really going on with these two. It was so obvious that Eddie was Jamie's whole world at the moment.

Jamie wasn't even aware that Linda had entered the room. It wasn't until Linda cleared her throat from behind that he broke out of his gaze and turned his head.

"Hey Linda," he said, looking and sounding very tired.

"Hey. What are you still doing here? I thought I told you to go get some rest yourself. Visiting hours are over."

He smiled self-consciously knowing he'd been caught with his feelings for Eddie plainly written on his face. "I just…I just couldn't leave her. She doesn't have any family nearby and I didn't want her to be alone."

"She's being released in the morning, Jamie. It's not like she'll be here long."

Jamie knew she wasn't buying his story. "I know," was all he could say in reply as he glanced back at Eddie who continued to sleep. He still hadn't let go of her hand. He saw that Linda noticed this too and braced himself.

"Jamie…"

Her tone was one that Jamie recognized from other people hundreds of times before. The kind where he knew that questions and observations of his feelings for Eddie were forthcoming along with the usual jabs and warnings and disapprovals since they were partners.

"Please don't, Linda," he sighed. "Not you too. We're just partners." His standard answer flowed out of him as a force of habit even though he could finally admit to himself that it was a complete lie.

Linda smiled as she checked a few of the monitors and wrote down some notes.

"I wasn't going to admonish you, Jamie. I think you guys are cute together- good for each other even. Maybe it's time you should do something about it."

This surprised Jamie, and as he sat there in shock, Linda patted his shoulder. "Stay as long as you want." She winked and turned to leave the room.

* * *

The throbbing pain in her head began to bring her out of a deep sleep. When Eddie opened her eyes, she thought for a split second that she was home in her warm bed, but reality quickly set in as she realized she was still in the hospital, and the events of the past evening hours quickly ran through her mind and caught back up with her.

The pain was becoming unbearable, so she tried to move her hand to press the button for the nurse, but found that her hand was caught up in something. That something ended up being Jamie Reagan's hand. She looked over and her heart melted at the sight. He had fallen asleep, most of his body still sitting in the chair while his head awkwardly rested on the bed right next to her shoulder with his hand still wrapped tightly around hers. He didn't look comfortable, but he did look like an adorable love-sick puppy. He had made good on his promise that he wasn't going anywhere, and that fact warmed her.

She hated to disturb him but she really needed some help getting this pain under control. "Jamie?" she whispered, trying to wake him gently without scaring him. She squeezed his hand. "Jamie…"

Jamie instantly became awake with only Eddie on the forefront of his mind. "Eddie? You okay? What's wrong?"

"My pain meds wore off," she replied tiredly.

"I'll buzz for Linda," he said and pushed the call button.

"What time is it?" Eddie asked.

"Two in the morning."

"God, Reagan. What are you still doing here? Visiting hours are way past over. Go home and sleep."

"I don't want to go home. I told you I was going to be here with you. Linda let me stay."

"You have a family hook for everything."

"No, I really don't," he gaped.

A nurse walked in, but it wasn't Linda.

"I bet you want some more of this," the nurse said to Eddie as she started to hook up a new bag to the IV line. "I was just getting ready to come in here to wake you and check up on that concussion of yours."

"Where's Linda?" Jamie asked, surprised that a different nurse showed up.

"You're Jamie, right? She just left in a hurry a few minutes ago. She told me to tell you to check your messages. Something about a family emergency."

"What?" Jamie replied, alarmed. He grabbed his phone and started thumbing through the texts that he had slept through. "Oh my God," he exclaimed.

"What happened?" Eddie asked, concerned. The nurse finished checking Eddie's vitals and left the room.

Jamie's voice shook. "Everyone's alright, but Danny's house burnt to the ground. It's a total loss."

"Oh…that's terrible! Everyone's okay though? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. No one was home; Danny was working, the boys were staying with friends for the weekend, and Linda was here so... Looks like Dad's taking them in."

"Wow…How'd it happen?"

"Retaliation for the drug bust," Jamie said bitterly.

" _Seriously_?" Eddie spat, knowing about the high profile case Danny had been working on. "Those bastards. That's _horrible_! Jamie you need to go. Go be with your family."

"Linda's telling me to stay put. Dad and Erin are with them. They need some time to process it all. Sounds like there's nothing I can do right now anyway…"

"I'm so sorry, Jamie…if there's anything I can do…"

Jamie sat back down and rubbed her arm. "Hey, you just need to concentrate on getting better, okay? Get some more rest. Try not to worry about it."

"I know…but, I feel so bad for them. Can you just imagine? Can you imagine what it would be like to lose everything like that?

Jamie sat back and contemplated the feeling of helplessness and fear he had when he saw all the blood gushing from her head.

"Not like that, but I'm still very aware of how close I came to losing you…and I never want to go there again."

Eddie frowned. "I'm gonna be fine. Please tell me you're not feeling guilty for what happened."

"How could I not be, Eddie? I wasn't fast enough. And we shouldn't have been working together….we shouldn't work together. Not anymore."

This was not what Eddie wanted to hear. "Jamie, I'm alive because of you. I don't trust anyone else to have my back the way you do. You saved my life, and I really want us to still be partners."

"I don't know Eddie…we have to be responsible here."

"And you don't think we have been? You don't even realize how responsible you were back there. You followed every protocol. You patiently waited to come out of hiding until I had him on the ground. You gave him an opportunity to surrender by telling him not to move. You didn't pull the trigger until you realized that he wasn't going to stop with the hammer. And it was a perfect shot, one and done, and you didn't hit me in the process. You had nerves of steel with your aim. No one could have done it better, Jamie. And I mean it. No one."

He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her fingers. "Trust me, I want to be that person that always has your back. But I can't make any promises that we'll be able to stay partners. I could never live with myself if something went terribly wrong and it was my fault."

"I know…I get it, I do," Eddie sighed heavily. "If the roles were reversed I would feel the same. It's just that this is so heartbreaking to have to think that our partnership is over."

"It's not when you consider what we're gaining instead."

Eddie looked surprised. "That's not the answer you gave me when we were dancing that one night."

Jamie grinned, remembering how beautiful she looked in her dress and how amazing it felt to hold her close. "I know. Maybe I'm changing my mind because I just realized some things are actually more important than partnerships."

He bent down and gave her the most romantic and heartfelt kiss Eddie had ever experienced.

"Go back to sleep, okay?" Jamie said softly against her lips. "We don't have to make any huge decisions right now. Just know that I love you."

Eddie's eyes became watery, overwhelmed by his tenderness and the way he made her feel. "I love you too."


	5. Chapter 5

Eddie arrived at the front of the infamous colonial brick home belonging to Frank Reagan. Drawing in a nervous breath, she hoped she came at a good time when most of the family would not be here. She didn't see any other cars parked around, so she took that as a good sign. If it was just Henry and Linda inside and maybe even the boys, she could handle that. She would be horrified, however, if Frank were to answer the door. And she certainly didn't want Jamie to know that she was here, but she knew he was currently working the day tour.

She took her time shuffling up the short sidewalk to the door while carrying an over-stuffed duffle bag over her shoulder. The added weight threw off her balance a little. She still felt a tad woozy from the side effects of her concussion. It was only her second day out of the hospital and she hadn't been cleared for duty yet, but she was feeling good enough to get out of bed and go out on this excursion. Gathering up her courage, she softly knocked three times and waited.

Henry was the one to greet her. He smiled kindly at her "Can I help you?"

Eddie smiled back and extended her hand to formally introduce herself. "Commissioner, Sir, I'm Eddie Janko, Jamie's partner?"

"Well of course, Eddie! I knew you looked familiar! And you can call me Henry. None of that old Commissioner stuff. Glad to see you up and around after what happened. What brings you by?"

"Thank you, um…Henry," she stumbled to use his first name. "I have something I want to give to Linda. I was hoping she was here?"

"You're in luck. Please, come in!"

She followed him to the kitchen where Linda was spooning out cookie dough onto a baking sheet.

"You have a visitor, Linda!" Henry exclaimed. "Nice to see you, Eddie. I'll let you two have some privacy." He walked back to the den to work on his cross word puzzle.

"Eddie? What are you doing here?" Linda was happily surprised to see her. She dropped what she was doing and ran around the counter to give her a quick hug. "How are you feeling?"

"Doing better than the last time you saw me, at least! Wow, chocolate chip cookies from scratch, huh?" Eddie eyeballed the bowl full of cookie dough and smelled the delightful aroma of a batch baking in the oven.

"Yeah, when I get stressed, I tend to bake. Keeps my mind off things. So what are you doing here?" she repeated.

"Well, first off, I never got to thank you for taking care of me at the hospital. You were so attentive and caring, and I know you helped put Jamie's mind at ease too, so thank you for letting him stay with me. He can be so overprotective of me sometimes. As his partner, of course," she quickly added, feeling the need to give some excuse as to why Jamie was acting so clingy that night.

"Oh, well there's no need to thank me. All part of my job. But you're welcome. I'm glad you're okay, Jamie was really worried about you, you know."

Eddie blushed a little and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I know."

Linda stared at her with a sly smile, knowing there was more to it than Jamie just being an "overprotective partner."

Eddie cleared her voice after an awkward pause. "Also,…um, Jamie told me about the fire. I'm so sorry for what you guys are going through. I want to help. So I went through my closet and picked out some essentials, hopefully most of them will fit, I think we're kind of the same size? I mean, it's just to help you get by for a few days, and then I have this for you too."

Eddie placed the duffel bag on the counter and handed Linda a small white envelope. Linda was curious as she slowly took the envelope from Eddie and looked inside. She pulled out a gift card and shockingly gazed at the amount of $300 written on it.

Eddie continued to explain. "I didn't know everyone's sizes, so I figured you could use that to get clothes for yourself and Danny and the boys, or anything you need, really."

Linda's eyes glazed over with tears, touched by Eddie's thoughtfulness. "Eddie…you really didn't have to do this…I can't accept this, I mean, we barely know each other. This is too much." She tried to give the gift card back to Eddie, but Eddie refused.

"Please take it. I want to help. Being partnered with Jamie, I hear stories about you guys all the time and I feel like I do know you. Actually, I've always been jealous of how your family is so supportive and tight-knit with each other. I don't have that in my life, so…" Eddie shrugged it off. "But Jamie is the one person that is always there for me. We back each other up, and family is important to him, so I just…I don't know, maybe I'm not explaining it right, but I just really feel the need to help. Please let me."

Linda smiled through her tears. "Thank you," she said quietly and embraced Eddie in a gentle hug. "But I'll find a way to pay you back."

"You don't have to-"

The timer on the oven started beeping. "Oh! The cookies!" Linda exclaimed. She grabbed the oven mitt and ran over to get them out. "Would you like to stay for a bit and have some warm cookies with milk?"

"I was hoping you'd say that! They smell amazing! My mouth is watering!" Eddie beamed.

"I'll get the plates, you get the milk? Glasses are in that cupboard," Linda pointed.

They sat down together at the kitchen table and Eddie couldn't wait to bite into the warm, gooey cookie. "Mmmm, Linda, these are so good. I love that you put in extra chocolate chips."

"I always do. Comfort food, you know? Chocolate is a woman's best friend!"

Eddie laughed and took a drink of milk.

"So, exactly how long have you and Jamie been partners? Seems like it's been quite a while now," Linda asked, hoping she didn't sound like she was snooping too much.

Eddie's eyes lit up as she talked about her partnership. "Can you believe it's been four years already? We've been in the car together for so long we practically finish each other's sentences! We've been through a lot together. He's taught me so much."

"Wow, four years. That is a long time, especially for your first partnership. Danny has certainly gone through his share. Although Maria has been a good match for him. I know he can be a pain in the ass to work with. Hopefully she'll stick around. I like her."

"I like her too. I had a chance to work undercover with them once. They're both really good detectives."

"Well you and Jamie certainly make a good team. We were worried about him after Vinny died. But he's been really happy being on patrol. So happy, in fact, that it leaves us all to wonder why he never seems interested in being promoted."

"I've asked him that before, too. He says he'd rather be on the streets stopping things from happening rather than cleaning up the mess after it happens. But I also think he's given up on the idea, as long as his dad is the Commissioner. I mean, with the family name and all, he knows it puts his dad in a tight spot."

Linda picked up another cookie and put it on her plate and broke off a piece to dunk in her milk. "Oh, I don't know if that's true, really. Jamie is an excellent cop and has put in the years and has paid his dues. If the right recommendation came along, I'm sure Frank would have no choice but to look at it objectively and promote him."

"You really think so?" Eddie asked, surprised. "Jamie always tells me it would never happen. But I certainly think he deserves it."

"You _really_ want to know what I think?" Linda asked with a grin on her face. "I think he's happy where he's at because he loves spending all of his time with _you_." She bit into her cookie with a pleased look on her face, knowing she was on the right track when Eddie swallowed her milk hard.

Eddie almost choked. She put down the glass and wiped her mouth. "You know, don't you? Did Jamie say something to you?" she whispered, looking beyond the doorway where Henry had walked out, hoping he wasn't listening in.

Linda looked back also to make sure Henry wasn't hovering around and lowered her voice. "I don't know anything other than the unmistakable look of love I see in his eyes when he looks at you. I saw it in the hospital the other night when he refused to leave your side."

Eddie became nervous. "Look, Linda…I…we…we haven't done anything-"

"It's okay, Eddie! You're secret is safe with me! I won't say anything to anybody about it. I'm glad you make him happy, Eddie. I really am. I think it's sweet. You're good for him, I can tell."

There was something in Linda's smile that Eddie sensed was genuine. She knew right then and there she could trust Linda and so she relaxed a little. "He makes me happy, too," she admitted with a shy smile. "I think we've both known there's been something more between us for years but we kept ignoring it. Me getting hurt finally made us realize we can't ignore it anymore. So it kind of all is still so new. I'm not sure what's going to happen." Eddie was relieved to finally talk to someone else about it.

"So you two have a decision to make, don't you," Linda said, "about your partnership?"

"We're struggling with that decision. We've _been_ struggling with that decision. We want the best of both worlds, but we know that if we stay partners we're asking for trouble. You're not supposed to fall in love with your partner! But we love having each other's backs out there. It's like I'm the happiest I've ever been, but the reality of having to say goodbye to such an amazing partnership just really sucks."

"But think of all that you could be missing out on if you don't see where this goes," Linda encouraged.

"I know," Eddie sighed. "We're trying to see it that way. But we're at a crossroads. I really don't want to ride with anyone else but him. He feels the same. And I just don't want to mess anything up. What if we take that leap and it doesn't work out between us? We could end up losing not just our partnership, but the best friendship I've ever had. We could never go back to the way it was."

"Oh I don't think you need to worry about messing it up. I think the best relationships are the ones that are rooted in friendship first. You two have already tested that friendship by spending hours on end together on the job over the past four years. If your partnership has been as wonderful as you say it has been through thick and thin, then why wouldn't a relationship be the same kind of wonderful, maybe even more so, especially when you add in marriage and babies!"

"Linda!" Eddie exclaimed. "I'm not ready for pushing a baby carriage yet!"

"I'm just sayin', it would be nice to have a little one sitting in a high chair making a mess with mashed potatoes at Sunday dinners again! Come to think of it, it would be nice just to have _you_ sitting next to Jamie at the Reagan table."

"Oh my God, me at a Reagan family dinner? I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I seriously haven't sat down to a family dinner since I was ten."

"Another reason why you should take the leap. You'd be welcomed into this family, Eddie. And we could use another girl. Erin, Nicky, and I are outnumbered!"

"Well there you go, it's decided then. I can't leave you, Erin, and Nicky outnumbered!" Eddie joked.

Linda got up and cleared their plates. "I'm tellin' ya, those Reagan boys wouldn't know what they're in for!"

Eddie laughed and stood. "I should get going. I told Jamie I was going to rest all day at home, and he's going to stop by at noon to check up on me."

"Ah. So you better hurry. You wouldn't want freak out your overprotective partner, right?"

"Right!"

"Well Eddie, I'm really glad you stopped by. Thanks again for your gift. I really appreciate it."

Eddie was amazed. She couldn't believe the direction her visit took. "You're welcome. But you know something? I came over here to give you some comfort, but you ended up comforting me!"

"See, I told you. It's all about the chocolate! Seriously though, if you ever need to talk more about it, just give me a call. And I hope to see you back here soon, with Jamie, at the dinner table."

"As scary as that sounds, I think I'd like that too," she admitted. "Thanks, Linda."

"Take care, Eddie."

Henry looked out the window and saw Eddie leaving. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a cookie. "What was that all about?" he asked Linda.

"Just some girl talk, Pop."

"Uh huh. That girl talk have anything to do with a boy named Jamie?"

"She came by to let me borrow some of her clothes. Wasn't that nice of her?"

"That was nice of her. But you didn't answer my question," he noted, as he reached down to take another cookie.

Linda swatted his hand and made him put the cookie back. "No more cookies for you, doctor's orders. You'll spoil your lunch."

"Bah!" he grumbled and walked back to the den. "You're no fun!"


	6. Chapter 6

Jamie stabbed a piece of broccoli and shoved it in his mouth as he stared at Linda from across the table. Something had been bothering him ever since he sat next to her at Mass this morning. She was wearing this satin pink shirt that looked an awful lot like what Eddie wore to the bar that unforgettable night, when they went out on a double date and got tipsy playing beer pong. The night ended with them each saying goodnight to their respective dates but he was the one to walk Eddie home.

Now, staring at Linda again at dinner he had this overwhelming feeling that Linda _really was_ wearing Eddie's shirt. The memory of that night sent Jamie lost in thought. When they had walked back to her place, the look in Eddie's eyes said it all. _I think I feel something for you, do you feel it too?_ And he most certainly did. Without even thinking he knew he wanted to explore the answer to that question some more. Like a magnet, they were drawn in to each other, the desire and temptation too great to back out. He remembered sneaking his hands under her jacket and feeling the silkiness of that very same shirt when he wrapped his arms around her for their first kiss. Her lips were soft and pliable, and he would never forget the pleasure that spread throughout his entire body, leaving a spark crackling and sizzling between them when they broke apart.

Linda sensed Jamie's peering eyes and finally had enough. "Something wrong, Jamie? Why you staring at me like that?"

Jamie was jilted out of his daydream. He realized he had been blankly staring at Linda this whole time. The rest of the family stopped eating to look at him and waited for his response.

"It's nothin', sorry," Jamie replied.

"No, really, what?" Linda asked.

The entire family now bounced their attention back and forth between Linda and Jamie, like they were watching a tennis match.

Jamie saw that everyone was now invested in his answer. "I don't know…I just have this weird feeling that I've seen that shirt you're wearing before on someone else, but I know you have all new clothes now, so…nevermind."

Nicky had a muddled look on her face. "Well that _is_ weird, Uncle Jamie."

"It's not so weird, Nicky," Linda answered. "He probably has seen it before. This is Eddie's shirt."

Danny smirked. "What? Eddie as in Jamie's partner Eddie?"

"The one and only," Linda smiled, watching Jamie carefully for his reaction. He looked rather confused, and Linda also detected a hint of embarrassment in his face.

Jamie shifted in his seat as all eyes were on him again. "Uh…really? Why?"

Henry laughed. "Don't be so surprised, Jamie! You should know that partner of yours has a heart of gold. She came by the other day with a duffle bag full of clothes for Linda to borrow."

"It's just to get me by until we get back on our feet again," Linda explained.

Frank looked over to Linda. "You didn't tell me that! Well how nice of her!"

Erin was impressed. "Yeah, that was very thoughtful of her! You didn't know about this, Jamie?"

"No," Jamie answered quietly.

Danny wasn't going to let this go without getting a jab in. "So let me get this straight," he points his fork at his brother. "You noticed that this is Eddie's shirt? Just how much of Janko's wardrobe are you familiar with, Kid?"

"Knock it off, Danny," Jamie sneered.

"Eddie also gave mom a $300 gift card so she can get clothes for the rest of us, too" Sean blabbered with his mouth full of food.

Jamie's eyes went wide.

Jack kicked his younger brother in the shin under the table. "Sean, you weren't supposed to tell!"

Linda gave her son a stern look. "Yeah, Sean, I told you not to talk about it!"

Sean just shrugged. "I think it's cool. I got the same pair of Nikes I had before, only now they're new!"

Danny turned to his wife. "And why didn't I know about this?"

"Because it was very generous of her and I felt like everybody didn't need to know. I refused it at first, but she kept insisting she wanted to help. Don't worry, I'll find a way to pay her back. Maybe we could take her out for a nice dinner or something as a thank you."

Jamie was stunned by what Eddie had done.

"How is Eddie, by the way?" Frank asked Jamie to try to change the tension he felt around the table.

Jamie took a deep breath in and out to reset his mind. "She's on the mend. Still has bad headaches every once in a while. She'll probably be cleared for duty in another week."

"Well, when she gets better, invite her over here for dinner as a thank you from Linda, now that the cat is out of the bag." Frank looked amusingly at Sean.

Jamie panicked. "Uh, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want-"

"Thank you, Frank," Linda cut in. "What a nice idea! I'll do all the cooking!"

"Excuse me," Danny interrupted, "but since when did you start allowing other cops to come over and have dinner with you, the Commissioner himself? This is family dinner time."

"Partners are like family," Frank stated. "And I didn't say it had to be _Sunday_ dinner."

"Oh. Well if that's the case, you better have Baez over too or I'll never hear the end of it why she wasn't invited."

"Danny," Linda admonished.

"Just sayin'." Danny mumbled.

"Really, Dad, you don't have to do this," Jamie insisted.

"Set it up for a weeknight, Jamie. Tell her Linda invited her and it's casual, absolutely no formalities. You can come too, if you think that would make her feel more comfortable."

"Oh I'm sure it would," Danny wisecracked.

Jamie stared down Danny with daggers in his eyes.

* * *

"Drink?" Frank asked his father before he sat down in his chair for the evening with his own glass of scotch.

"No thanks," Henry said, picking up another section of the newspaper to read.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. But something was on Henry's mind, he just couldn't let it go. He put down the newspaper and sighed heavily.

"Something on your mind, Pop?"

"I overheard some things I wasn't supposed to hear when Eddie was over here the other day talking with Linda."

Frank downed the rest of his scotch. "Accidently overheard, or purposefully eavesdropped?"

Henry shrugged. "Maybe a little of both."

"I see."

"I'm just going to put this out there- I think now is the perfect time to promote Jamie to detective."

Frank nodded and didn't miss a beat. "And not just because it's high time and he deserves it, but because he and Eddie are closer than partners should be, even more so now that she got hurt on the job, and they can't bring themselves to ask for new partners?"

Henry snickered. "I forgot. You're the Commissioner. You already know everything."

"This is nothing new, you know. I've been keeping my eye on it for years."

"So why don't you help them along. Promote the boy."

"I've already brought the idea up with him. Jamie doesn't want a gold shield. I think he's more suited to be a sergeant, anyway. He'd be a great T.O. He's already proven that with Eddie. And he could still work a beat if he wanted to."

"So why hasn't he taken the initiative to go for the exam?"

Frank held up his hand and shook his head. "I gotta stay out of it, Pop. They need to find their own way. He and Eddie make an excellent team, regardless of how close they are. Need I remind you they just took out a serial killer? Their C.O. wants them back together and even he knows how close they are, he's been watching it too. There's plenty of rumors at the 12th that they're together. I have to trust that Jamie will do the right thing when the time calls for it."

"And if he doesn't?"

"If he doesn't, then they'll suffer the consequences. But for now, I'm staying out of it."

"Staying out of it? You did just give Eddie an open invitation to dinner at your house," Henry chuckled.

"Well now that's a different story. There's nothing wrong with me wanting to get to know my future daughter-in-law better, is there?" Frank smiled.

"You think it's that serious between them?"

"Seeing Jamie's reaction in the waiting room at the hospital when she got hurt...I'm betting we'll get a wedding invitation by the end of the year."

"Oh come on," Henry said, grumbling in disbelief.

"I'm the Commissioner. I know everything," Frank mused.


	7. Chapter 7

"Jamie, what are you doing here?" Eddie let Jamie into her apartment. "Aren't you supposed to be with your family?"

Jamie didn't answer. Instead, right after walking through the door, he grabbed her hands and tugged her towards him, gazing into her eyes like that night out on the sidewalk. He kissed her slowly and intimately, just like that first kiss, only this time he let it last longer.

Eddie smiled at him when they broke apart. "What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.

"You remember our first kiss?"

Eddie closed her eyes and planted her forehead to his. "Of course. How could I forget?"

"You remember what you were wearing that night?"

Eddie pulled back and looked at his face, confused. "Um…not really."

"Well I do."

"Okay…oh…wait…wasn't it something pink? Why are asking me?" And then it hit her. She had packed that outfit in the duffle bag for Linda without even thinking about it. "Oh crap," she groaned.

"Linda was wearing it today," Jamie confirmed her suspicion with a wry smile on his face.

"Damn," Eddie quietly exclaimed, knowing she'd been found out about her good deed.

"It had me flustered at the dinner table, thinking about that night, holding you, your lips on mine…"

"Flustered? That would have been fun to see," Eddie flirted, placing her hand on his chest.

"Oh, but it gets better!" He took her hand and led her to the couch where they sat down.

"Why, what happened?" she nervously laughed at his sarcasm.

"Oh nothing. It's just that now my entire family knows what you did to help because I couldn't hold it together seeing Linda wearing that, and then Sean blabbed about the gift card, and now Linda wants to have you over for dinner some night as a thank you and my dad insists on hosting it at his house."

"What?" Eddie was floored.

"Yeah."

Eddie panicked. "I told her I didn't need to be paid back…your dad _insists_? Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh man, Jamie, I'm so sorry…I didn't think at all that this is what would come out of it."

Jamie relaxed and held her hand. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Eddie just sat there, still in a panic about the thought of having dinner with the Commissioner.

"What you did…" Jamie continued. "It was a beautiful thing. And I couldn't be prouder to have you sit next to me at a family dinner."

Eddie blinked. "You actually want me to go? I can't go Jamie!"

"Why not?"

"WHY NOT? Well for starters, your dad will be there. The guy who has the ultimate power to fire me. What if he found out about us and this is all a trick to get me to confess that I've been kissing my partner! _His_ son! And what will the rest of the family think when that all comes out? And Danny probably hates me for butting in trying to help- well, Linda likes me at least- but what about Nicky? She probably still hates me from that ride along fiasco. And don't even get me started about my own family. You know someone will ask. And then I'll have to talk about my dad and it will just get weird. And I don't even know what's expected at these things- do you have those fancy table settings with all of that silverware, like how many forks are there gonna be and which one do I use first-"

"Eddie! Stop!" Jamie squeezed her hands and laughed at her ramblings. "Calm down! It's not going to be anything like that, okay? You're getting all worked up for nothing!"

"I didn't want anything in return! I'm not going, Jamie."

"Look, at first I wasn't so sure if you should go either. But then I got to thinking. You and I… if we let things progress like I think things are going to progress, then it makes sense for my family to get to know you better, and for you to get to know them. This dinner will be good practice."

"But I thought we were going to keep this under wraps. You're sounding like you want to tell everyone."

"I love you, Eddie. I do want to tell everyone. But I want us to be in agreement on it first."

Eddie got quiet. "You want to put in for new partners?"

Jamie sighed. "Of course not. But we have to. Maybe it won't be so bad if we're still allowed to work the same house. At least we can keep tabs on each other that way. And then…we can do whatever we want off duty," he said suggestively.

That put a smile on her face. "Whatever we want?"

"Yup!"

"Okay," she agreed, blowing out a breath. "When I get cleared for duty, let's talk to Sarge."

"Yeah?" Jamie asked excitedly.

Eddie answered with a kiss. "Yeah," she whispered.

* * *

A few nights later, Danny entered the bar and found Jamie waiting for him, sitting on a stool already starting on the pitcher of beer he ordered for them. "Hey," Danny said, sitting down on the stool next to him.

"Hey."

"Got your message. You wanted to talk to me about somethin'?"

"Yeah," Jamie answered, pouring beer into an empty mug for his brother.

"This got to do with a girl?" Danny teased.

"See, there you go. This is exactly why I wanted to talk to you."

"What?" Danny feigned ignorance.

"Why are you always on my case about that? About Eddie, especially."

"You're my kid brother. I'm supposed to tease you about girls. That, and you've been a bachelor way too long. And you're terrible at hiding your feelings for Eddie."

"Okay, well I need you to tone it down."

Danny leered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Eddie's coming over for family dinner in a few days and I need you to behave."

"Behave?"

"Knock it off with the jokes about me and her."

Danny paused and smiled. "Oh…I get it. You _do_ got something goin' with her! You dog!"

"Danny!" Jamie threw his hands up in the air, exasperated.

Danny took a swig of his beer and set it back on the bar, his facial expression turning serious. "Look Kid, why don't you just tell me the truth? You love her, don't you?"

"I don't want this to get out yet, okay? But yeah. I do. And we've decided to get new partners once she comes back from medical leave."

"Well it's about time!" Danny said a little too loud.

Jamie finally let a smile shine on his face. "So can you be nice to her when she comes over, please?"

"You know, I never liked Sydney."

"Huh?" Jamie asked.

"I could tell from the start she wasn't right for you. But Eddie. You two make a great team. She's got spunk. She gained my respect when she went on that undercover for me. She's got heart helping my family out the way she did. And from what I can tell, she stole your heart from the get-go and I've never seen you so happy. So if she's important to you, then I can't wait to get to know her better."

"Thanks, Danny. I just want her to be comfortable at this dinner. She's feeling a bit intimidated about it."

"I'll be nice."

"Do you even know how?" Jamie teased.

"Ha Ha. Very funny, Kid."


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. I got stuck, but after being inspired by the spoiler pics for 8x1, I think I got it moving again. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers! I'm overwhelmed by the response! There will be one more chapter after this but it's not written yet.

* * *

"One PP? We _both_ got called up to One PP? Jamie, this _can't_ be good!" Eddie freaked over the phone. "He doesn't just call everyday-ordinary officers like me up there for anything good."

"You don't know that, relax, okay? Take a deep breath." Jamie tried to reason. While he was confused as to why his father would want to talk with the both of them formally in his office, he was less panicked about it than Eddie was. "I've been up several times before. He usually calls me up there for special assignments. And I do know he calls people up there for good things too, like promotions, so it doesn't always mean it's a bad thing. And he's my _dad_ , okay? I know how to handle him. Just let me do most of the talking and we'll be fine."

"He knows. Oh God, he knows. And we're going to get a rip for all these years that we've been partnered together knowing how we feel about each other…"

"Trust me, it's not going to be about that!" Jamie argued. "And even if it is, we already have a plan in place to get new partners, so we are ahead of the game."

"Jamie, I don't like this…" she stated flatly. "And the dinner is tomorrow night….what is he trying to do, kill me?"

"Look, I'm on my way to pick you up. Put on your dress blues and look sharp. We'll face this together and it's going to be _fine_ , Eddie, I promise."

Jamie picked her up from her apartment a few minutes later. When she got in the car, he noticed she didn't look so good. She was fidgety and pale. "You're really nervous about this, aren't you?" he asked with concern.

She sighed. "Just go. Let's get this over with."

He pulled the car out into the street and reached over to grab her hand and smiled. He found her panicked behavior to be rather cute even though she was having a hard time with this. "Eddie, look at me."

She rolled her eyes and looked at him.

"You are a brave and kick-ass cop. You have nothing to worry about."

She nodded and gave a slight smile. She allowed her body to relax as his statement sunk in. "Damn right."

He squeezed her hand before releasing it. "That's my girl."

When they arrived at One PP, Baker announced them, and before Eddie knew it, she was ushered in and greeted by the one man who she always looked up to but remained intimidated by nonetheless.

"Officer Janko. Officer Reagan," he shook their hands with a smile and motioned them to sit. "I heard you were cleared for duty," he continued, looking at Eddie. "I'm happy to hear that you are fully recovered and doing well."

"Yes Sir, thank you, Sir. I look forward to returning to patrol next week."

Jamie suppressed a grin, knowing that very soon, they would be able to begin their relationship.

"I'm sure you both must be wondering why I called you up here, so I'll get straight to it."

Eddie's heart began to beat even faster in anticipation of what he was going to say next.

Frank looked to Jamie. "Your brother is chomping at the bit to get the guys who burned down his house. He's been barred from doing so, for obvious reasons. But I'm not barring you. I need you to get on the inside of this, and take Officer Janko with you. I'm placing you both on special assignment."

Jamie and Eddie shared a panicked non-verbal look knowing that this was an order straight from the Commissioner himself, and that they would now have to disclose the fact that they should no longer be working together.

While Eddie sat there like a deer caught in the headlights, Jamie knew what needed to be said but certainly had not wanted it go down this way nor was the timing what he had wanted. But he cleared his throat and spoke up. "Uh, Sir, we respectfully ask not to be placed on this assignment."

Frank sat back in his chair with a heavy sigh and stared at Jamie with disappointment waiting for a full explanation, but none was forthcoming. "And why is that, Officer Reagan?"

Jamie watched Eddie who looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole a die as she stared straight ahead trying to remember to breathe. "Well, Sir, you see, when Officer Janko returns to duty next week, we will be asking for different partners. We have decided to pursue a personal relationship and know that it is against the patrol guide to remain working together in that instance."

Frank remained silent and eyeballed both of them with a straight face. Time seemed to pass slowly for both Eddie and Jamie, as they awaited the full reaction from the Commissioner of this news. Wordlessly, Frank opened his desk drawer and retrieved two manila envelopes and handed one to Jamie and one to Eddie. "These are your identities. You'll be working undercover as a couple. That should be no stretch for you and why I am assigning you both to this task. I know you'll look out for each other and keep each other safe."

"Dad?" Jamie questioned in shock, breaking with formality. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Frank broke out into a smile, leaving Eddie and Jamie completely confused. "I have been watching your partnership closely ever since it began. The two of you have the best arrest record in the 12th. You work extremely well together, and I believe it's because of the way you two complement each other and are made for each other. You two are the best pick for this assignment. However, you are doing the right thing in asking for new partners. That will be arranged once this assignment is over."

Frank stood up. "Is that understood?"

Eddie and Jamie followed suit and stood up. "Yes Sir!" came both their replies.

"Good. Be safe out there….And may I say it's about time!" Frank added. "I look forward to getting to know you better, Eddie. See you at dinner tomorrow."

Eddie was completely flabbergasted. "Thank you, Sir," she replied with an embarrassed smile.

Jamie put a hand on Eddie's back to guide her to the door. "I'll be out in a minute," he whispered to her.

Jamie then turned back into the room and smirked at his father in amusement, wondering just how long he actually knew. "I guess the Commissioner really does know everything," Jamie laughed.

"You got yourself a good one there, Jamie. Don't blow it!"

"I know, Dad. Believe me, I know!"

Frank gave his son a hug with a slap on the back and then got serious again. "Hey…and you make sure to get those guys. For your brother's sake."

Jamie nodded. "We will."


	9. Chapter 9

"Ready?" Jamie asked as he turned off the car and smiled over at Eddie. Her hair was down in soft waves, just how he liked it best, and the soft and cozy blue sweater she was wearing brought out the color of her eyes, making Jamie want to stare at her even more than usual.

"No, but I need to get over it," Eddie tried to convince herself. She took in a deep breath and blew it out.

"I love you, they'll love you. And it's not even going to be the whole family in there. Just Dad, Pop, Linda, and Danny."

"Where are the boys?"

"Some sort of social event at school."

"Oh."

Eddie froze and kept staring at the house. When he saw that she made no effort to get out of the car, he laughed. "We can't stay in the car, you know. We actually have to go inside in order to have dinner."

"Right."

Eddie tugged on the door handle but Jamie put his hand on her leg to stop her. "Hey, it's going to be fine, I promise." He sealed his promise with a quick press of his lips to hers.

"If you say so," she sighed and exited the car with a bottle of wine that she chose to bring.

Hand in hand, they walked up the drive and opened the back door to the kitchen. They barely even got inside before Linda immediately wrapped Eddie in a welcoming hug. "I'm so glad you came!"

Jamie was all smiles as Eddie looked to him in surprise when the hug went on longer than expected. She gently wriggled out of Linda's grasp. "Thank you for having me!" Eddie replied, extending out the bottle of Bordeaux. "I brought wine!"

"Oh, thanks! But you didn't have to bring anything," Linda said as she accepted the gift.

"Yes she did," Danny piped up, grabbing the bottle from Linda and going on a search for a cork screw. "Nice to see you, Eddie."

"You too, Danny," Eddie replied warmly.

Linda opened the oven to check the roast. "Needs just a few more minutes. Dad and Pop are in the living room, I'll holler when it's ready."

Jamie placed a hand on Eddie's back and guided her to the living room. Frank and Henry stood up to greet Eddie.

"Welcome, Eddie," Frank smiled.

"Thank you, Sir. It's a pleasure to be invited into your home."

"The pleasure is ours," Henry offered.

Eddie instantly spotted the baby grand piano tucked in the corner of the room. Suddenly she wasn't so nervous anymore. "Oh! You have a piano! It's beautiful! Who plays?" She separated herself from Jamie to walk over to the bench and sat down at the keys.

"That would be Pop," Frank answered. "He sings, too. He's pretty good even in his old age. "

"Hey now…" Henry bit back. "You play, Eddie?" He watched how she delicately placed her fingers over the keys, positioning them into a resemblance of a chord.

"It's been a while, but yeah. I love the piano!" she answered brightly.

"I didn't know that! How come I never knew this?" Jamie asked in wonder.

Eddie shrugged. "Rich girl from the suburbs, remember? Piano lessons were practically a MUST, along with horseback riding and tennis. But I enjoyed it. My landlord won't let me have a piano in my apartment, otherwise I would still play."

"Why don't you play something for us?" Frank asked.

Eddie removed her hands embarrassingly from the piano. "Oh, I don't know. I don't think I'd be any good. It's been too long."

Henry walked over to the piano and leaned against it. "Give it a try. It's just like riding a bicycle. You never forget."

Eddie looked over to Jamie with an expression that he knew all too well from being partnered with her all these years. She had that tentative look in her eye and was looking for some backup and support.

"I'd love to hear you play, Eddie," he beamed.

She found the strength she was looking for in his eyes shining back at her. "Well…okay!" she relented. She swung her legs back under the piano and stared at the keys, trying to think of something to play. She smiled when it came to her. "Sing along with me, Henry. I think you'll know this one!"

Eddie played the intro and Jamie was enamored with her song choice. Once the verse started, Eddie sang in her beautiful voice. Jamie was instantly transfixed at the sound of it:

 _I see trees of green, red roses too_

 _I see them bloom for me and you…_

Henry's eyes lit up; he knew the song well and he joined her in singing the next line-

 _And I think to myself- what a wonderful world._

The pair continued to sing the rest of the song in perfect harmony with Eddie beautifully playing the accompaniment, and Jamie was transported back to the time when he and Eddie were holding each other tight, dancing to this song, trying to gather the courage they needed to find out what they were missing out on. And now his heart was bursting at the reality that they were about to be on that journey, and he suddenly could not understand why he had waited so long. His world was wonderful indeed with her in it.

As Eddie and Henry finished up the song, Danny snuck in the room with two glasses of wine. "Well look at that! Gramps finally met his match!" He handed a glass of wine to Jamie, and walked over to Eddie to give her the other.

"That was beautiful, Eddie," Frank genuinely complimented her.

"See? Like riding a bike!" Henry repeated.

Eddie downplayed the attention. "Well, I think it helped that it's one of my favorite songs," she looked to Jamie and he didn't miss her meaning.

Jamie cleared his throat and came out of his trance. "Mine too," he quietly agreed, locking eyes with her as if they were the only people in the room.

Danny noticed this and smirked. "Oh really? Since when, Harvard?"

Linda popped her head in the room. "Dinner's ready! Was that you playing, Eddie? You two sounded wonderful together!"

"Saved by the bell," Danny whispered to Jamie.

"Be _nice_." Jamie whispered back, reminding his big brother about their talk at the bar earlier.

When they reached the dining room, Eddie was grateful that Jamie pulled out a chair for her to sit, otherwise she wouldn't have known which seat was hers. _Her_ seat, she thought. Was this the beginning of many family dinners together? Years of family dinners together? In which later down the road a high chair for a baby would need to be added? Suddenly Eddie became both nervous and excited all over again at the significance of sitting next to Jamie at the Reagan family dinner table.

Linda swung her arms over the table and placed the beautifully plated roast in the center which was surrounded by other dishes filled with salad, various vegetables, and dinner rolls. It was a homemade feast that was definitely a luxury for Eddie, and she couldn't wait to dig in. "This looks delicious, Linda. I haven't had a home-cooked meal in…well, it's been a long time."

Linda sat down in her seat. "Well, that was the idea, to treat you. Danny and I just wanted to thank you for what you did for us after the fire. Right Danny?" Linda urged Danny to also say his thanks.

Danny forced a smile because of his pride, but was able to truthfully reply, "It was very nice what you did, Eddie, thank you."

Jamie was impressed that Danny admitted that. He knew it wasn't easy for him to accept open generosity.

"Who would like to say grace?" Frank asked.

"I will," Jamie piped up. Frank smiled at him and everyone around the table bowed their heads. Eddie copied them and followed suit out of respect. "Bless us O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord, Amen."

Jamie grabbed Eddie's hand under the table and gave a quick squeeze before releasing. Everyone started passing the food around. Just as Eddie was spooning out some mashed potatoes onto her plate, she heard the kitchen door open.

"Anyone home?" Erin called out.

 _As if she didn't know,_ Jamie thought.

Erin walked into the dining room, hiding something behind her back. "Oh, hey! Oh….gosh! The dinner thing! With Eddie! That's tonight?"

It became clear to both Jamie and Eddie that Erin was completely pretending to not be in the know.

"Yes, that's tonight, Erin," Jamie answered, annoyed.

"Hi Erin!" Eddie waved at her to make the point that yes, this was THE dinner.

"Oh, well…good! Because I brought dessert!" Erin placed the chocolate cake down on the table along with a plate and proceeded to take her regular seat and dish out some food.

"And who invited you?" Jamie asked.

"A little birdie," she replied in amusement.

Jamie looked around the table but no one gave out any outward sign that it was them who told Erin.

"Hey Dad!" Jack yelled from the kitchen as the door burst open.

Jamie put down his fork and looked to Danny. "Really?"

"In here, Jack!" Danny answered his son.

Jack and Sean walked into the dining room all out of breath and sweaty. "You'll never believe this, but we got a flat tire on the way there. We had to run all the way back here because we realized the spare is in the…oh…hey." Jack stopped talking as he looked around the table. "Sorry…didn't know you were having company."

"Is that right?" Jamie looked over to his nephews, knowing that the story just told was made up. Eddie quietly chuckled to herself.

"That looks good, Mom. Is that your famous roast beef?" Sean was suddenly hungry.

Linda nodded. "Why don't you boys grab some plates from the kitchen and sit down and eat. By the time you get that car fixed, you'll have missed the dance. You might as well stay here."

Everyone finished dishing out their food and Eddie began to wonder what the topic of conversation would drift to. "So, Eddie-" Frank started, but was interrupted by his granddaughter arriving.

"Hey Grandpa?" Nicky made her way from the kitchen to dining room. "Do you still have that record player I can borrow? My friends have some old albums we want to listen to…oh. Sorry." Nicky stopped talking when she saw the rest of the family eating. "Am I interrupting something?"

"As if you didn't know," Jamie leered at his niece. "Might as well grab a plate, Nicky! Everyone else did."

"You don't mind?" Nicky played along. "I am kind of hungry."

"Not at all!" Linda joined in. "Plenty of food for everyone!"

Now that the whole family was at the table, Jamie gave Eddie a look that silently communicated his apologies. He had promised her this was going to be a no-pressure evening with just a few of the family members. Eddie quickly shook her head to brush off his concern and let him know she was okay with it. It actually made her feel good knowing that everyone wanted to be here for her special dinner. It was a good sign that the family was accepting of her.

The question remained, though, who was the "little birdie" that spilled the beans about the dinner being this evening? Jamie needed to find out.

"So you planned it that way, huh Linda? That there'd be enough food for everyone?" Jamie poked around for information.

"What? No! My plan was to make enough for leftovers so none of us would have to cook for the next few days. I didn't know everyone was coming over. Honest!"

There was silence around the table as Jamie eyeballed each and every family member looking for clues. But everyone just went about their business of eating as utensils clinked against plates, water was being sipped, meat was being cut, and rolls were being buttered.

Just when Eddie thought the silence was becoming deafening, Henry spoke up.

"So I hear the two of you finally decided to get new partners!"

"Pop!" Frank warned.

Jamie threw down his napkin. "What do you mean _finally_?" Jamie continued. "And what would you know of it? We aren't ready to announce it to the public yet."

"So it's true?" Erin asked excitedly.

"Geez…this family. No privacy," Jamie muttered. He was getting angrier by the minute, concerned for Eddie thinking she must be totally uncomfortable having to endure being outed in front of everyone. He snuck a look at Eddie and was surprised to see her calm and even wearing a smile on her face. Maybe he was making too much of this. He always was the more serious one, and she was always the one to bring him back down to earth.

"Yes, it's true," Jamie sighed. "We have one more assignment together and then we're getting new partners. But this really isn't how we wanted to announce it. So who's the rat? Only other people who knew were Dad and Danny…"

"Oh, come on now," Henry interjected. "The whole family has known for quite some time that you carry a torch for this special young lady." He nudged Eddie in the arm and winked. "My grandson is not very good at hiding his feelings for you."

Eddie smiled brightly. "That's funny. He hid it from me pretty well for _years_!"

That remark got the whole family laughing.

"What?" Jamie blurted. "So not true, Janko!"

"Whatever you say, Boy Scout!"

"Gramps is right," Danny said. "The whole family already knew. And now that I have gathered everyone here, it's time to pay up. You all lost the bet."

A collective groan was heard around the table.

"Wait, _you're_ the one who told everyone to be here?" Jamie asked Danny. "And what bet? What are you talking about? What the hell is going on?" His anger returned. "Eddie, I'm so sorry my family is being-"

The look of confusion on Jamie's face was classic as he saw Eddie pull a couple of bucks from her pocket and hand the wad over to Danny. The rest of the family was doing the same begrudgingly.

"What are you doing?" Jamie asked Eddie.

"I lost the bet," she shrugged.

"WHAT BET?" Jamie couldn't believe what was happening.

Danny explained. "How long it was going to take you to break and decide you need a new partner!"

"In your defense, I thought it was going to be way much later," Eddie joked. "I thought I was going to have to keep dating losers for the next four years in order to finally get your attention!"

Jamie sat back and folded his arms across his chest. His anger started to melt away and he became completely amused as a smile broke out on his face. "You are such a jerk!" he snickered at Eddie.

Eddie leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Aw," Nicky crooned. "You guys are so cute."

"Can you all finally lay off now?" Jamie whined, still smiling.

"Oh no. We're just getting started," Danny said. "Next bet is when the two of you's will get hitched. And then after that, how long until the first baby comes. Or maybe the baby comes _before_ you get hitched…"

"Danny!" Linda yelped.

"How about the next bet is that I end up kicking your ass," Jamie mouthed off.

Frank felt the need to step in. "How about you realize that all of this teasing is because we love you, Jamie."

"Yes, I know. One big happy family," Jamie replied. "You sure you know what you're signing up for?" he asked Eddie.

"I'm not going anywhere. It's been a long time since I've felt surrounded by this kind of family love. I'm not about to take it for granted."

Frank agreed. "When we have everyone we love, we have everything. And for that, we should be grateful."

* * *

Author's Note: So that's how I would have ended Season 7, in which season 8 could then begin with them doing the undercover op that Frank assigned them.


End file.
